Alignment of certain optical components with waveguides, such as optical fibers, with a high coupling efficiency continues to be a challenge in the photonics industry. Active alignment of optical components typically requires dedicated equipment using a sub-micron resolution multi-stage axis system with integrated cameras to align the components. Moreover, an active monitoring of coupled light is often required. Not only is this equipment expensive, active alignment slows the fabrication process and limits throughput.
To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one embodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments without specific recitation.